Display resource management

ABSTRACT

A system and related methods for a resource management in a head-mounted display device are provided. In one example, the head-mounted display device includes a plurality of sensors and a display system for presenting holographic objects. A resource management program is configured to operate a selected sensor in a default power mode to achieve a selected fidelity. The program receives user-related information from one or more of the sensors, and determines whether target information is detected. Where target information is detected, the program adjusts the selected sensor to operate in a reduced power mode that uses less power than the default power mode.

BACKGROUND

An augmented reality device such as a head-mounted display device mayinclude multiple sensors that generate various forms of input data. Eachof the sensors consumes power in capturing and processing the inputdata. Such sensors may include, for example, microphones, image sensors,depth cameras, eye-tracking sensors, and location sensors. Continuousoperation of these sensors may consume significant amounts of power andpotentially reduce battery life of the head-mounted display device.Additionally, in some examples data from one or more sensors may betransmitted over a network. Continuous transmission of such input datacan also consume a significant amount of power as well as networkresources.

In addition to acceptable battery life, users of an augmented realitydevice also desire a consistent, high quality augmented realityexperience. While turning off or reducing power delivered to one or moresensors may reduce power consumption and/or network demands, such powerfluctuations may also degrade the augmented reality experience providedby the augmented reality device.

SUMMARY

To address the above issues, a resource management system including ahead-mounted display device and related methods are provided. In oneexample, the head-mounted display device is configured to be worn by auser and is operatively connected to a computing device. Thehead-mounted display device also includes a plurality of sensors and adisplay system for presenting holographic objects.

The resource management system further includes a resource managementprogram that is executed by a processor of the computing device. Theresource management program is configured to operate a selected sensorof the plurality of sensors in a default power mode to achieve aselected level of sensor fidelity. The resource management program isalso configured to receive user-related information from one or more ofthe sensors, with the user-related information being selected from thegroup consisting of audio information, user gaze information, userlocation information, user movement information, user image information,and user physiological information.

The resource management program is further configured to determinewhether target information is detected in the user-related information.Where the target information is detected, the resource managementprogram is configured to adjust the selected sensor to operate in areduced power mode that uses less power than the default power mode,thereby achieving a reduced level of sensor fidelity.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore,the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solveany or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a resource management system according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows an example head-mounted display device according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of two users in a physical environment usingthe head-mounted display device of FIG. 2 and the resource managementsystem of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C are a flow chart of a method for managing resourcesin a head-mounted display device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a simplified schematic illustration of an embodiment of acomputing system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of one embodiment of a resource managementsystem 10 for managing resources in a head-mounted display (HMD) device.The resource management system 10 includes a resource management program14 that may be stored in mass storage 18 of a computing device 22. Theresource management program 14 may be loaded into memory 26 and executedby a processor 30 of the computing device 22 to perform one or more ofthe methods and processes described in more detail below. The computingdevice 22 may further include a power supply 32, such as a battery, forsupplying power to components of the computing device.

In one example, the resource management system 10 may include anaugmented reality display program 28 that may be stored in mass storage18 of the computing device 22. The augmented reality display program 28may generate a virtual environment 36 for display on a display device,such as the first HMD device 34. The virtual environment 36 may includeone or more virtual object representations, such as holographic objects.In some examples, the virtual environment 36 may be generated to providean augmented reality experience in the form of an interactive videogame, motion picture experience, or other suitable electronic game orexperience. In another example, the augmented reality display program 28and/or the resource management program 14 may be stored remotely and maybe accessed by the computing device 22 over a network to which thecomputing device is operatively connected, such as network 38.

The computing device 22 may take the form of a desktop computing device,a mobile computing device such as a smart phone, laptop, notebook ortablet computer, network computer, home entertainment computer,interactive television, gaming system, or other suitable type ofcomputing device. Additional details regarding the components andcomputing aspects of the computing device 22 are described in moredetail below with reference to the computing system illustrated in FIG.5.

The computing device 22 may be operatively connected with the first HMDdevice 34 using a wired connection, or may employ a wireless connectionvia WiFi, Bluetooth, or any other suitable wireless communicationprotocol. Additionally, the example illustrated in FIG. 1 shows thecomputing device 22 as a separate component from the first HMD device34. It will be appreciated that in other examples the computing device22 may be integrated into the first HMD device 34.

The computing device 22 also may be operatively connected with one ormore additional devices via network 38. In one example, the computingdevice 22 may communicate with a second HMD device 42 via network 38.Network 38 may take the form of a local area network (LAN), wide areanetwork (WAN), wired network, wireless network, personal area network,or a combination thereof, and may include the Internet.

With reference now also to FIG. 2, one example of an HMD device 200 inthe form of a pair of wearable glasses with a transparent display 50 isprovided. It will be appreciated that in other examples, the HMD device200 may take other suitable forms in which a transparent,semi-transparent or non-transparent display is supported in front of aviewer's eye or eyes. It will also be appreciated that the HMD device 34shown in FIG. 1 may take the form of the HMD device 200, as described inmore detail below, or any other suitable HMD device. Additionally, manyother types and configurations of display devices having various formfactors may also be used. For example, a hand-held display device thatprovides an augmented reality experience may also be used.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, in this example the first HMD device 34includes a display system 46 and transparent display 50 that enablesimages to be delivered to the eyes of a user. The transparent display 50may be configured to visually augment an appearance of a physicalenvironment to a user viewing the physical environment through thetransparent display. For example, the appearance of the physicalenvironment may be augmented by graphical content (e.g., one or morepixels each having a respective color and brightness) that is presentedvia the transparent display 50.

The transparent display 50 may also be configured to enable a user toview a physical, real-world object in the physical environment throughone or more partially transparent pixels that are displaying a virtualobject representation. In one example, the transparent display 50 mayinclude image-producing elements located within lenses 204 (such as, forexample, a see-through Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) display). Asanother example, the transparent display 50 may include a lightmodulator on an edge of the lenses 204. In this example, the lenses 204may serve as a light guide for delivering light from the light modulatorto the eyes of a user. Such a light guide may enable a user to perceivea 3D virtual image located within the physical environment that the useris viewing, while also allowing the user to view physical objects in thephysical environment.

In other examples, transparent display 50 may support selectivefiltering of light received from the physical environment beforereaching an eye of a user wearing the HMD device 200. Such filtering maybe performed on a pixel-by-pixel basis or on groups of pixels. In oneexample, transparent display 50 may include a first display layer thatadds light in the form of one or more illuminated pixels, and a seconddisplay layer that filters ambient light received from the physicalenvironment. These layers may have different display resolution, pixeldensity, and/or display capabilities.

The second display layer may include one or more opacity layers 52 inwhich blocking images may be generated. The one or more opacity layers52 may be integrally formed within the transparent display 50. In otherexamples, the one or more opacity layers 52 may be separately mounted orattached adjacent to the transparent display 50, such as in the form ofa separate visor.

The first HMD device 34 may also include various systems and sensors.For example, the first HMD device 34 may include an eye-tracking sensorsystem 54 that utilizes at least one inward facing sensor 208 (see FIG.2). The inward facing sensor 208 may be an image sensor that isconfigured to acquire image data in the form of eye-tracking informationfrom a user's eyes. Provided the user has consented to the acquisitionand use of this information, the eye-tracking sensor system 54 may usethis information to track the position and/or movement of the user'seyes. The eye-tracking sensor system 54 may then determine where and/orat what physical object or virtual object the user is gazing. The inwardfacing sensor 208 may also include one or more optical sensors forcapturing visible spectrum and/or infrared light. Such sensors may beused, for example, to determine the proximity of a user's face to theHMD device 34.

The first HMD device 34 may also include an optical sensor system 58that utilizes at least one outward facing sensor 212, such as an opticalsensor. Outward facing sensor 212 may detect movements within its fieldof view, such as gesture-based inputs or other movements performed by auser or by a person or physical object within the field of view. Outwardfacing sensor 212 may also capture image information and depthinformation from a physical environment and physical objects within theenvironment. For example, outward facing sensor 212 may include a depthcamera, a visible light camera, an infrared light camera, and/or aposition tracking camera. In some examples, outward facing sensor 212may include one or more optical sensors for observing visible spectrumand/or infrared light from real-world lighting conditions in thephysical environment. Such sensors may include, for example, a chargecoupled device image sensor that may detect RGB ambient light and/orblack and white ambient light.

As noted above, the first HMD device 34 may include depth sensing viaone or more depth cameras. Each depth camera may include left and rightcameras of a stereoscopic vision system, for example. Time-resolvedimages from one or more of these depth cameras may be registered to eachother and/or to images from another optical sensor such as a visiblespectrum camera, and may be combined to yield depth-resolved video.

In some examples, a depth camera may take the form of a structured lightdepth camera configured to project a structured infrared illuminationcomprising numerous, discrete features (e.g., lines or points). Thedepth camera may be configured to image the structured illuminationreflected from a scene onto which the structured illumination isprojected. A depth map of the scene may be constructed based on spacingsbetween adjacent features in the various regions of an imaged scene.

In other examples, a depth camera may take the form of a time-of-flightdepth camera configured to project a pulsed infrared illumination onto ascene. This depth camera may be configured to detect the pulsedillumination reflected from the scene. Two or more of these depthcameras may include electronic shutters synchronized to the pulsedillumination. The integration times for the two or more depth camerasmay differ, such that a pixel-resolved time-of-flight of the pulsedillumination, from the source to the scene and then to the depthcameras, is discernable from the relative amounts of light received incorresponding pixels of the two depth cameras. The first HMD device 34may also include an infrared projector to assist in structured lightand/or time of flight depth analysis.

In other examples, gesture-based and other motion inputs from the userand/or persons in the physical environment may also be detected via oneor more depth cameras. For example, outward facing sensor 212 mayinclude two or more optical sensors with known relative positions forcreating depth images. Using motion results from these optical sensorswith known relative positions, such depth images may be generated andmapped to gesture-based and other motion inputs. In still otherexamples, laser return, ultrasound, infrared, and/or any other suitabledepth detection technology may be used and is within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

Outward facing sensor 212 may capture images of a physical environmentin which the user is situated. As discussed in more detail below, suchimages may be part of physical environment information 60 that may bereceived by the first HMD device 34 and provided to the computing device22. In one example, the augmented reality display program 28 may includea 3D modeling system that uses such input to generate virtualenvironment 36 that models the physical environment that is captured.

The first HMD device 34 may also include a position sensor system 62that utilizes one or more motion sensors 216 to enable position trackingand/or orientation sensing of the first HMD device, and determine aposition of the HMD device within a physical environment. For example,the position sensor system 62 may be utilized to determine a head poseorientation of a user's head. In one example, position sensor system 62may comprise an inertial measurement unit configured as a six-axis orsix-degree of freedom position sensor system. This example positionsensor system may, for example, include three accelerometers and threegyroscopes to indicate or measure a change in location of the first HMDdevice 34 within three-dimensional space along three orthogonal axes(e.g., x, y, z), and a change in an orientation of the HMD device aboutthe three orthogonal axes (e.g., roll, pitch, yaw).

Position sensor system 62 may support other suitable positioningtechniques, such as GPS or other global navigation systems. For example,position sensor system 62 may include a wireless receiver (e.g., a GPSreceiver or cellular receiver) to receive wireless signals broadcastfrom satellites and/or terrestrial base stations. These wireless signalsmay be used to identify a geographic location of the first HMD device34.

Positioning information obtained from wireless signals received by thefirst HMD device 34 may be combined with positioning informationobtained from the motion sensors 216 to provide an indication oflocation and/or orientation of the first HMD device 34. While specificexamples of position sensor systems have been described, it will beappreciated that other suitable position sensor systems may be used.

Motion sensors 216 may also be employed as user input devices, such thata user may interact with the first HMD device 34 via gestures of theneck and head, or even of the body. Further, in some examples the motionsensors 216 may have relatively low power requirements. In these cases,information from the motion sensors 216 may be used in lieu ofinformation from more complex sensor systems having greater powerrequirements. It follows that the more complex sensor systems may bepowered down or off to conserve system resources. Non-limiting examplesof motion sensors include an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a compass, andan orientation sensor, which may be included as any combination orsubcombination thereof.

The first HMD device 34 may also include a microphone system 64 thatincludes one or more microphones 220. In some examples, and as describedin more detail below, an array of microphones 220 may receive audioinput from a user and/or audio input from a physical environment aroundthe user. Additionally or alternatively, one or more microphonesseparate from the first HMD device 34 may be used to receive audioinput.

In other examples, audio may be presented to the user via one or morespeakers 224 on the first HMD device 34. Such audio may include, forexample, music, instructions, and/or other communication from theaugmented reality display program 28 or other sources.

In other examples, the first HMD device 34 may also include acommunication system 66 and associated transceiver 228 for broadcastingwireless signals such as Wi-Fi signals, Bluetooth signals, etc., andreceiving such signals from other devices. These wireless signals may beused, for example, to exchange data and/or create networks amongdevices.

The first HMD device 34 may also include a processor 232 having a logicsubsystem and a storage subsystem, as discussed in more detail belowwith respect to FIG. 5, that are in communication with the various inputand output devices of the HMD device. Briefly, the storage subsystem mayinclude instructions that are executable by the logic subsystem, forexample, to receive and forward inputs from the sensors to computingdevice 22 (in unprocessed or processed form) via the communicationsystem 66, and to present images to the user via the transparent display50.

The first HMD device 34 may also include a battery 70 or other suitableportable power supply that provides power to the various components ofthe HMD device.

It will be appreciated that the first HMD device 34 and related sensorsand other components described above and illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2are provided by way of example. These examples are not intended to belimiting in any manner, as any other suitable sensors, components,and/or combination of sensors and components may be utilized. Thereforeit is to be understood that the first HMD device 34 may includeadditional and/or alternative sensors, cameras, microphones, inputdevices, output devices, etc. without departing from the scope of thisdisclosure. Further, the physical configuration of the first MD device34 and its various sensors and subcomponents may take a variety ofdifferent forms without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

With reference now also to FIG. 3, descriptions of example embodimentsand use cases utilizing the resource management system 10 and first HMDdevice 34 will now be provided. FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of afirst user 304 and a second user 308 located in a physical environment.In this example the physical environment is a room 300 that includesphysical objects such as a wall 312, a picture 316 mounted on the wall,a table 320 and a bookcase 324. The first user 304 may wear the firstHMD device 34 and the second user 308 may wear the second HMD device 42(see also FIG. 1). The second HMD device 42 may have a construction andoperation that is substantially similar to the first HMD device 34described above, and both HMD devices may take the form of HMD device200.

The display system 46 of the first HMD device 34 may present aholographic object to the eyes of the first user 304 in the form of avirtual wizard 326 located on the table 320. Similarly, the displaysystem of the second HMD device 42 may present the virtual wizard 326 tothe eyes of the second user 308 such that the wizard appears located onthe table 320. In this manner, FIG. 3 shows the room 300 as populatedwith the virtual wizard 326 that is positioned in the room according tothe virtual environment 36 that is generated by the augmented realitydisplay program 28 of the first HMD device 34 or second HMD device 42.

It will be appreciated that the virtual environment 36 may model thephysical environment and may be based on one or more of usereye-tracking information, lighting information from the physicalenvironment, depth information, image information, and position and/ororientation information received from the first HMD device 34 and/orsecond HMD device 42. In one example, such information may be compiledto generate a virtual environment 36 that comprises a 3D map of the room300 and includes one or more holographic objects.

As described further in the various use cases discussed below, theresource management program 14 may be configured to operate a selectedsensor of the first HMD device 34 in a default power mode to achieve aselected level of sensor fidelity. In one example, the selected sensormay be from the optical sensor system 58, the position sensor system 62,the eye-tracking sensor system 54 or the microphone system 64. Theselected level of sensor fidelity for a given sensor may correspond to apredetermined sensor resolution, sensor frequency or sampling rate, orother suitable operational quality.

The first HMD device 34 may receive user-related information 72 via theeye-tracking sensor system 54, optical sensor system 58, position sensorsystem 62, and/or microphone system 64. The resource management program14 may be configured to receive the user-related information 72 from thefirst HMD device 34. In one example, the user-related information mayinclude audio information, user gaze information, user locationinformation, user movement information, user image information, and/oruser physiological information. Using this user-related information, theresource management program 14 may be configured to determine whethertarget information is detected in the user-related information. Wherethe target information is detected, the resource management program 14may be configured to adjust a selected sensor to operate in a reducedpower mode that uses less power than the default power mode. The reducedpower mode of the sensor may correspond to a reduced level of sensorfidelity.

In some examples, the target information may include context-identifyingaudio information, a user gaze that is fixed on a holographic object ora physical object, a user location at a predetermined location, movementof the user below a movement threshold, image information indicating auser body part, and/or awareness-related user physiological informationthat indicates a user awareness below an awareness threshold.

In one example, the first user 304 may be wearing the first HMD device34 while driving from a shopping mall to the user's home. While drivinga GPS sensor in the position sensor system 62 of the first HMD device 34may be operated in a default power mode. The default power mode maycorrespond to a default location sampling rate that yields a defaultlocation accuracy. Such default location accuracy may be sufficient toprovide, for example, various location-based services to the user 304via the first HMD device 34.

The user 304 may arrive at home and walk inside the user's house. Atthis point the resource management program 14 may receive user locationinformation from the GPS sensor indicating that the user is at thepredetermined location of the user's house. When the resource managementprogram 14 detects this target information, the resource managementprogram may adjust the GPS sensor to operate in a reduced power modethat corresponds to a reduced location sampling rate and a reducedlocation accuracy. In one example, the reduced power mode may correspondto a powered-off state in which the GPS sensor is turned off.Advantageously, by selectively reducing power to the GPS sensor in thismanner, power consumption of the first HMD device 34 may be reduced, andcorresponding battery life may be increased.

It will be appreciated that when the user is in the user's house,location information generated by the GPS sensor may provide limitedvalue to some of the augmented reality experiences typically enjoyed bythe user 304 in the user's house. Accordingly, the predeterminedlocation of the user's house may be selected as target information, andthe corresponding reduced power mode for the GPS sensor may be employedin a manner that does not degrade the quality of the augmented realityexperience as perceived by the user 304. Additionally, and as describedin more detail below for other use cases, additional reduced power modesfor other sensors and corresponding to other target information maysimilarly be employed in a manner designed to avoid degradinguser-perceived augmented reality experiences.

With reference to FIG. 3, in another example the first user 304 may besitting in the room 300 of the user's house. The first user 304 may beengrossed in a 3-D movie experience presented via the first HMD device34 and featuring the virtual wizard 326. In this example the targetinformation may include movement of the user that is below a movementthreshold. For example, the movement threshold may be defined as aboundary around the first user 304 that the user has not crossed withina predetermined amount of time. In one example, the boundary may be aone meter radius circle that encircles the first user 304, and thepredetermined amount of time may be 30 seconds. It will be appreciatedthat any suitable boundary distance or configuration and any suitablepredetermined amount of time may be used without departing from thescope of this disclosure. It will also be appreciated that differentboundary distances and amounts of time may be more suitable fordifferent locations and/or contexts.

In this example, when the user sits in place for more than 30 seconds,the resource management program 14 may be configured to detect that theuser's movement is below the movement threshold. Based on detectingmovement below the movement threshold, the resource management program14 may adjust the position sensor system 62 to operate in a reducedpower mode. For example, the reduced power mode may correspond to theGPS sensor operating at a lower sampling rate or being powered-off.

In other examples and based on detecting movement below the movementthreshold, the resource management program 14 may adjust one or moreother sensors to operate in a reduced power mode. For example, a visiblelight camera in optical sensor system 58 may be adjusted to a reducedpower mode that corresponds to a slower refresh rate than a defaultrefresh rate of, for example, 30 Hz.

In another example, first user 304 may be gazing at the virtual wizard326, as indicated by gaze line 330, or at the picture 316, indicated bygaze line 334. In this example the target information may include theuser's gaze being fixed on a holographic object or a physical object.The user's gaze may be determined to be fixed when it remains trained ona holographic object or a physical object for more than a predeterminedamount of time, such as 2 seconds. It will be appreciated otherpredetermined amounts of time may be used such as, for example, 1second, 3 seconds, 10 seconds, 1 minute or any other suitable amount oftime, without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Additionally,the resource management program 14 may use eye-tracking informationreceived from the eye-tracking sensor system 54 to determine that theuser 304 is gazing at the virtual wizard 326 or the picture 316.

In this example, when the resource management program 14 detects thatthe user has gazed at an object for more than the predetermined amountof time, the resource management program may be configured to adjust theoptical sensor system 58 to operate in a reduced power mode. Forexample, the reduced power mode may correspond to a visible light cameraoperating at a slower refresh rate than a default refresh rate, or to adepth camera operating at a slower refresh rate than a default refreshrate. In another example, the reduced power mode may correspond to animage sensor of the inward facing sensor 208 recording images of anon-dominant eye of the user 304 at a slower refresh rate than thedefault refresh rate, or ceasing to record images of the non-dominanteye. In another example, the reduced power mode may correspond todetecting the focus of the user 304 using a single eye gaze rayintersection with a holographic object, as opposed to using dual eyegaze ray intersections.

In still another example, the user 304 may be in a location thatpresents a complex and visually detailed scene including high contrastareas. In this example, the target information may include the visuallycomplex, high contrast scene at which the user 304 is gazing. When theresource management program 14 detects that the user is gazing at thisscene, the program may be configured to adjust the display system 46 toimprove the visibility of the scene. For example, the display system 46may be adjusted to increase the brightness of one or more virtualimages, use less complex fonts, leverage more complex rendering ofcharacters, and/or introduce new or complementary backgrounds.Additionally, the resource management program 14 may also be configuredto decrease power to one or more sensors, such as a GPS sensor in theposition sensor system 62.

In another example, the microphone system 64 may receive targetinformation in the form of context-identifying audio information. Suchaudio information may be interpreted by the resource management program14 to identify a current context and/or location of the user 304. Inthis manner and based on the context-identifying audio information, theresource management program 14 may be configured to adjust one or moreof the sensors of the first HMD device 34 to operate in a reduced powermode. For example, the first user 304 may be riding a bus and theresource management program 14 may interpret the sounds of the busengine and the bus driver announcements to determine that the first useris on a bus. Based on this context-identifying audio information, theresource management program 14 may operate the depth camera of theoptical sensor system 58 in a reduced power mode, for example.

In another example, the microphone system 64 may receive targetinformation in the form of audio information comprising the user'svoice. In one example, the user 304 may inform the resource managementprogram 14 that the user desires to use the first HMD device 34 for acontinuous amount of time without recharging, such as five hours forexample. Using such audio information, the resource management program14 may manage the power demands of the first HMD device 34 over the nextfive hours by adjusting one or more of the sensors to operate in areduced power mode.

In another example, one or more of the sensors of the first HMD device34 may receive target information in the form of awareness-related userphysiological information that indicates a user awareness below anawareness threshold. For example, eye movements of the first user 304may be tracked by the eye-tracking sensor system 54. The resourcemanagement program 14 may use such eye-tracking information to estimatea user awareness level of the first user 304.

For example and with reference again to FIG. 3, the first HMD device 34may be displaying a 3-D movie to the user 304 that includes the virtualwizard 326. The resource management program 14 may analyze a pattern ofuser eye-movements and determine that the user's awareness or interestin the 3-D move is below an awareness threshold. In one example, theawareness threshold may correlate to a frequency with which the user 304looks away from the wizard 326. For example, the awareness threshold maycomprise the user 304 looking away from the wizard 326 for more than 20seconds per minute over a 3 minute span. It will be appreciated anyother suitable period of time may be used without departing from thescope of this disclosure. When the resource management program 14determines that the user's awareness is below this threshold, theresource management program 14 may adjust one or more of the sensors tooperate in a reduced power mode.

It will be appreciated that various other types and forms ofawareness-related user physiological information may be received byother sensors of the first HMD device 34. Such other awareness-relateduser physiological information may include, but is not limited to, heartrate, pulse, hemoglobin saturation, skin conductivity, respiration,perspiration, and brainwave activity. Such information may also be usedby the resource management program 14 to determine a level of userawareness or interest.

In still another example, one or more of the sensors of the opticalsensor system 58 of the first HMD device 34 may receive targetinformation in the form user image information indicating a user bodypart. For example, the first user 304 may be attempting to hail ataxicab on a busy city street by vigorously waving the user's arms inthe air. A depth camera in the optical sensor system 58 may captureimage data of the user's arms waving. The resource management program 14may analyze the depth camera image data and determine that the user isengaged in an urgent signaling activity. Accordingly, the resourcemanagement program 14 may adjust one or more of the sensors that may benon-essential to such signaling activities to operate in a reduced powermode.

In another example, power to one or more of the sensors may be reducedwhen the user 304 is performing a task that the user generally performswithout the use of one or more sensors. For example, when the user 304is driving the user may have a history of using voice input to navigatevirtual menus, and correspondingly almost never use hand gestures.Accordingly, whenever the resource management program 14 determines thatthe user 304 is driving and engaging with a virtual menu, the programmay adjust a depth camera in the optical sensor system to operate in areduced power mode. It will be appreciated that different users may havedifferent usage patterns, and that the resource management program 14may customize sensor operation according to the usage patterns of agiven user.

In another example and with reference also to FIG. 1, the resourcemanagement program 14 may be configured to receive physical environmentinformation 60 from one or more of the sensors of the first HMD device34. The resource management program 14 may then determine whether targetinformation is detected in the physical environment information 60. Withreference to FIG. 3, in one example the physical environment informationmay include physical object image data from the room 300. For example,the optical sensor system 58 may receive image data showing the table320, picture 316, wall 312 and bookcase 324. Using such image data, theresource management program 14 may determine that the user 304 is in aroom 300 of the user's house. Accordingly, the resource managementprogram 14 may adjust a GPS sensor in the position sensor system 62 tooperate in a reduced power mode.

It will be appreciated that in other examples, the resource managementprogram 14 may be configured to receive other types and forms ofphysical environment information 60 via the first HMD device 34. Suchother types and forms of physical environment information 60 mayinclude, but are not limited to, audio information, ambient lightlevels, physical object location, orientation and surface information,and environmental condition information such as temperature.

In another example, the resource management program 14 may be configuredto receive physical environment information 60 via network 38 from thesecond HMD device 42 that is external to the first HMD device 34. In theexample illustrated in FIG. 3, the second HMD device 42 that is beingworn by the second user 308 may receive physical environment information60 and transmit such information to the computing device 22 and resourcemanagement program 14 via network 38.

In one example, the first user 304 and the second user 308 may walk intothe room 300. Both the first HMD device 34 worn by the first user 304and the second HMD device 42 worn by the second user 308 may capturesimilar image data from the physical objects in the room 300. The secondHMD device 42 may transmit the image data it captures to the first HMDdevice 34. Advantageously, based on receiving the image data from thesecond HMD device 42, the resource management program 14 may adjust oneor more sensors of the optical sensor system 58 in the first HMD device34 to operate in a reduced power mode.

It will be appreciated that in some examples two or more HMD devices maycommunicate to determine which HMD device will capture and transmit dataand which HMD device(s) will receive the data. In one example, the HMDdevice having the most remaining battery life may be selected to captureand transmit the data to other devices. In other examples any othersuitable criteria may be used to determine which HMD device may beselected to capture and transmit the data. It will also be appreciatedthat other types of physical environment data captured by other sensorsmay also be captured and transmitted by one HMD device and received byone or more other HMD devices from the capturing device.

In other examples the first HMD device 34 and/or second HMD device 42may receive physical environment information 60 and/or other informationvia network 38 from other devices and sources external to the HMDdevices. For example, first HMD device 34 may receive GPS locationinformation from a nearby indoor location beacon. In another example,first HMD device 34 may receive information from a smart phone or tabletcomputer to which the device is paired.

In still another example, an optical sensor in the optical sensor system58 may capture physical environment information 60 in the form ofphysical object image data. The resource management program 14 may beconfigured to determine whether the optical sensor has captured athreshold amount of the physical object image data. For example, athreshold amount of image data may be 100 MB of image data. In thisexample, when the optical sensor has captured 100 MB of image data ofthe physical object, the resource management program 14 may adjust theoptical sensor to operate in a reduced power mode and at a correspondingreduced level of fidelity. It will be appreciated that other sensors mayalso be monitored to determine whether threshold amounts of other typesof physical object information have been reached, whereupon such sensorsmay be adjusted to operate in a reduced power mode. It will also beappreciated that any other suitable threshold amount of image data maybe utilized without departing from the scope of this disclosure, andsuch threshold amount may be adjusted based on location or othercontext-related factors.

In still another example, the resource management program 14 may beconfigured to detect target audio. While the target audio is notdetected, one or more microphones 220 of the first HMD device 34 may beoperated at a default, slower polling frequency. When target audio isreceived by a microphone 220 and detected by the resource managementprogram 14, the program may adjust the microphone to operate at a fasterpolling frequency that is greater than the slower polling frequency.Advantageously, in this example the resource management program 14 mayuse the default power mode for the microphone 220 as long as the targetaudio is not detected. In some examples the target audio may includerecognized speech of the user 304, an emergency broadcast message, apredetermined third party recognized speech, such as speech of a user'sspouse or child, or any other suitable target audio.

In still another example, using an eye-tracking sensor of theeye-tracking sensor system 54 the resource management program 14 maydetect a user's gaze at a holographic object or a physical object. Withreference again to FIG. 3, in one example the user 304 may be gazing atthe picture 316 on the wall 312. Based on detecting the user's gaze, andgiven that the user 304 is not looking at the virtual wizard 326, theresource management program 14 may reduce an illumination output of thedisplay system 46 of the first HMD device 34. More particularly, theresource management program 14 may reduce the brightness of the virtualwizard 326 generated by the display system 46, thereby reducing thepower consumed by the display system 46. In another example, theresource management program 14 may utilize the opacity layer 52 in thedisplay system 46 to block more ambient light from reaching the eyes ofthe user 304. In this manner, the virtual wizard 326 and otherholographic objects may be displayed at a reduced brightness, therebyreducing power consumed by the display system 46.

In another example, a depth sensor of the optical sensor system 58 maybe operated at a default sensing level that includes illuminating adefault illumination area of a predetermined size. Using image data fromthe depth sensor, the resource management program 14 may determine thatthe size of a current illumination area in front of the first user 304is smaller than the predetermined size of the default illumination area.Accordingly, the resource management program 14 may be configured toreduce the illumination output of the depth sensor to correspond to thesmaller size of the current illumination area. In this manner, the powerconsumed by the illumination system of the depth sensor may also bereduced.

In another example, the resource management system 10 may include otheroperating modes, such as a fast response mode which may be selected toprioritize sensor data collection and associated fidelity over powermanagement. In this example, when the resource management system 10 or auser selects the fast response mode, such mode may override the resourcemanagement program 14 to maintain or increase power consumed by one ormore sensors, and thereby increase sensor fidelity. For example, when auser transitions into a new environment, the resolution, frequency,and/or power of one or more optical sensors may be increased to bettercapture the new physical space the user is in. In other examples, pixelbinning may be used to achieve a lower resolution depth display fordetecting coarse hand gestures at a higher frame rate (lower fidelity),or higher resolution may be used at a lower frame rate for surfacereconstruction.

In another example, the resource management program 14 may be configuredto determine that a user has removed an HMD device from the user's head.The resource management program 14 may then adjust one or more sensorsto operate in a reduced power mode. For example, when the first user 304removes the HMD device 42 and places it to rest on a surface, theposition sensor system 62 may detect no movement. After a predeterminedperiod of no movement, such as 30 seconds for example, the resourcemanagement program 14 may adjust the position sensor system 62 tooperate in a reduced power mode.

In another example, the resource management program 14 may be configuredto determine that a user is falling asleep or is asleep. The resourcemanagement program 14 may then adjust one or more sensors to operate ina reduced power mode. For example, over a predetermined period of time,such as 30 seconds for example, the inward facing sensor 208 may provideuser image information showing the eyelids of the first user 304 areclosed. Based on this information the resource management program 14 maydetermine that the first user 304 is sleeping, and may correspondinglyadjust one or more sensors to operate in a reduced power mode.

In another example, over a predetermined period of time, such as oneminute for example, the position sensor system 62 may provide positiondata showing that the first user's head is nodding downwardly in arepetitive fashion. Based on this data the resource management program14 may determine that the first user 304 is falling asleep, and maycorrespondingly adjust one or more sensors to operate in a reduced powermode.

In another example, target information may also be detected in thevirtual environment that a user is experiencing. For example, given aparticular user context that is informed by an augmented realityapplication that the user is running, the resource management program 14may adjust one or more sensors based on target information from thevirtual environment.

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C illustrate a flow chart of a method 400 for managingresources in an HMD device according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The following description of method 400 is provided withreference to the software and hardware components of the resourcemanagement system 10 described above and shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It willbe appreciated that method 400 may also be performed in other contextsusing other suitable hardware and software components.

With reference to FIG. 4A, at 404 the method 400 may include providingan HMD device 34 configured to be worn by a user and operativelyconnected to a computing device 22, with the HMD device including aplurality of sensors and a display system 46 for presenting holographicobjects. At 408 the method 400 may include operating a selected sensorof the plurality of sensors in a default power mode to achieve aselected level of sensor fidelity. At 412 the method 400 may includereceiving user-related information from one or more of the plurality ofsensors, with the user-related information being selected from the groupconsisting of audio information, user gaze information, user locationinformation, user movement information, user image information, and userphysiological information.

At 414 the method 400 may include determining whether target informationis detected in the user-related information. At 416 the method 400 mayoptionally include selecting the target information from the groupconsisting of context-identifying audio information, a user gaze that isfixed on a holographic object or a physical object, a user location at apredetermined location, movement of the user below a movement threshold,image information indicating a user body part, and awareness-relateduser physiological information that indicates a user awareness below anawareness threshold. At 418 and where the target information isdetected, the method 400 may include adjusting the selected sensor tooperate in a reduced power mode that uses less power than the defaultpower mode, thereby achieving a reduced level of sensor fidelity.

At 420 the method 400 may optionally include receiving physicalenvironment information from one or more of the plurality of sensors.With reference now to FIG. 4B, at 422 the method 400 may optionallyinclude determining whether the target information is detected in thephysical environment information. At 424 and where the targetinformation is detected, the method 400 may optionally include adjustingthe selected sensor to operate in the reduced power mode that uses lesspower than the default power mode, thereby achieving a reduced level ofsensor fidelity.

At 426 the method 400 may optionally include receiving the physicalenvironment information via a network from an external source that isexternal to the HMD device. At 428 and based on receiving the physicalenvironment information from the external source, the method 400 mayoptionally include adjusting the selected sensor to operate in thereduced power mode. At 430 the physical environment information mayoptionally comprise physical object image data. At 432 one or more ofthe plurality of sensors may optionally comprise an optical sensor. At434 the method 400 may optionally include determining whether theoptical sensor has captured a threshold amount of physical object imagedata. At 436 and when the threshold amount of physical object image datahas been captured, the method 400 may optionally include adjusting theoptical sensor to operate in the reduced power mode that uses less powerthan the default power mode, thereby achieving a reduced level of sensorfidelity.

At 438 the selected sensor may optionally comprise a position sensor,and the target information may optionally comprise movement of the userbelow a movement threshold. With reference now to FIG. 4C, at 440 themethod 400 may optionally include detecting that the movement of theuser is below the movement threshold using the position sensor. At 442and based on detecting the movement of the user below the movementthreshold, the method 400 may optionally include adjusting the positionsensor to operate in the reduced power mode.

At 444 the plurality of sensors may optionally comprise a microphone. At446 the method 400 may optionally include operating the microphone at aslower polling frequency when target audio is not detected. At 448 andwhen the target audio is detected, the method 400 may optionally includeadjusting the microphone to operate at a faster polling frequency thatis greater than the slower polling frequency.

At 450 the plurality of sensors may optionally comprise an eye-trackingsensor, and the target information may optionally comprise the user'sgaze at one of the holographic objects or at a physical object in thephysical environment. At 452 the method 400 may optionally includedetecting the user's gaze at one of the holographic objects or thephysical object using the eye-tracking sensor. At 454 and based ondetecting the user's gaze, the method 400 may optionally includereducing an illumination output of the display system of the HMD device.

FIG. 5 schematically shows a nonlimiting embodiment of a computingsystem 500 that may perform one or more of the above described methodsand processes. Computing device 22 may take the form of computing system500. Computing system 500 is shown in simplified form. It is to beunderstood that virtually any computer architecture may be used withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure. In different embodiments,computing system 500 may take the form of a mainframe computer, servercomputer, desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, homeentertainment computer, network computing device, mobile computingdevice, mobile communication device, gaming device, etc. As noted above,in some examples the computing system 22 may be integrated into an HMDdevice.

As shown in FIG. 5, computing system 500 includes a logic subsystem 504and a storage subsystem 508. Computing system 500 may optionally includea display subsystem 512, a communication subsystem 516, a sensorsubsystem 520, an input subsystem 522 and/or other subsystems andcomponents not shown in FIG. 5. Computing system 500 may also includecomputer readable media, with the computer readable media includingcomputer readable storage media and computer readable communicationmedia. Computing system 500 may also optionally include other user inputdevices such as keyboards, mice, game controllers, and/or touch screens,for example. Further, in some embodiments the methods and processesdescribed herein may be implemented as a computer application, computerservice, computer API, computer library, and/or other computer programproduct in a computing system that includes one or more computers.

Logic subsystem 504 may include one or more physical devices configuredto execute one or more instructions. For example, the logic subsystemmay be configured to execute one or more instructions that are part ofone or more applications, services, programs, routines, libraries,objects, components, data structures, or other logical constructs. Suchinstructions may be implemented to perform a task, implement a datatype, transform the state of one or more devices, or otherwise arrive ata desired result.

The logic subsystem 504 may include one or more processors that areconfigured to execute software instructions. Additionally oralternatively, the logic subsystem may include one or more hardware orfirmware logic machines configured to execute hardware or firmwareinstructions. Processors of the logic subsystem may be single core ormulticore, and the programs executed thereon may be configured forparallel or distributed processing. The logic subsystem may optionallyinclude individual components that are distributed throughout two ormore devices, which may be remotely located and/or configured forcoordinated processing. One or more aspects of the logic subsystem maybe virtualized and executed by remotely accessible networked computingdevices configured in a cloud computing configuration.

Storage subsystem 508 may include one or more physical, persistentdevices configured to hold data and/or instructions executable by thelogic subsystem 504 to implement the herein described methods andprocesses. When such methods and processes are implemented, the state ofstorage subsystem 508 may be transformed (e.g., to hold different data).

Storage subsystem 508 may include removable media and/or built-indevices. Storage subsystem 508 may include optical memory devices (e.g.,CD, DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-Ray Disc, etc.), semiconductor memory devices(e.g., RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.) and/or magnetic memory devices (e.g.,hard disk drive, floppy disk drive, tape drive, MRAM, etc.), amongothers. Storage subsystem 508 may include devices with one or more ofthe following characteristics: volatile, nonvolatile, dynamic, static,read/write, read-only, random access, sequential access, locationaddressable, file addressable, and content addressable.

In some embodiments, aspects of logic subsystem 504 and storagesubsystem 508 may be integrated into one or more common devices throughwhich the functionally described herein may be enacted, at least inpart. Such hardware-logic components may include field-programmable gatearrays (FPGAs), program- and application-specific integrated circuits(PASIC/ASICs), program- and application-specific standard products(PSSP/ASSPs), system-on-a-chip (SOC) systems, and complex programmablelogic devices (CPLDs), for example.

FIG. 5 also shows an aspect of the storage subsystem 508 in the form ofremovable computer-readable storage media 524, which may be used tostore data and/or instructions executable to implement the methods andprocesses described herein. Removable computer-readable storage media524 may take the form of CDs, DVDs, HD-DVDs, Blu-Ray Discs, EEPROMs,and/or floppy disks, among others.

It is to be appreciated that storage subsystem 508 includes one or morephysical, persistent devices. In contrast, in some embodiments aspectsof the instructions described herein may be propagated in a transitoryfashion by a pure signal (e.g., an electromagnetic signal, an opticalsignal, etc.) that is not held by a physical device for at least afinite duration. Furthermore, data and/or other forms of informationpertaining to the present disclosure may be propagated by a pure signal.

When included, display subsystem 512 may be used to present a visualrepresentation of data held by storage subsystem 508. As the abovedescribed methods and processes change the data held by the storagesubsystem 508, and thus transform the state of the storage subsystem,the state of the display subsystem 512 may likewise be transformed tovisually represent changes in the underlying data. The display subsystem512 may include one or more display devices utilizing virtually any typeof technology. Such display devices may be combined with logic subsystem504 and/or storage subsystem 508 in a shared enclosure, or such displaydevices may be peripheral display devices. The display subsystem 512 mayinclude, for example, the display system 46, transparent display 50, andopacity layer 52 of the first HMD device 34.

When included, communication subsystem 516 may be configured tocommunicatively couple computing system 500 with one or more networksand/or one or more other computing devices. Communication subsystem 516may include wired and/or wireless communication devices compatible withone or more different communication protocols. As nonlimiting examples,the communication subsystem 516 may be configured for communication viaa wireless telephone network, a wireless local area network, a wiredlocal area network, a wireless wide area network, a wired wide areanetwork, etc. In some embodiments, the communication subsystem may allowcomputing system 500 to send and/or receive messages to and/or fromother devices via a network such as the Internet.

Sensor subsystem 520 may include one or more sensors configured to sensedifferent physical phenomenon (e.g., visible light, infrared light,sound, acceleration, orientation, position, etc.) as described above.For example, the sensor subsystem 520 may comprise one or moreeye-tracking sensors, image sensors, microphones, motion sensors such asaccelerometers, touch pads, touch screens, and/or any other suitablesensors. Sensor subsystem 520 may be configured to provide observationinformation to logic subsystem 504, for example. As described above,observation information such as eye-tracking information, imageinformation, audio information, ambient lighting information, depthinformation, position information, motion information, and/or any othersuitable sensor data may be used to perform the methods and processesdescribed above.

In some embodiments sensor subsystem 520 may include a depth camera(e.g., outward facing sensor 212 of FIG. 2). The depth camera mayinclude left and right cameras of a stereoscopic vision system, forexample. Time-resolved images from both cameras may be registered toeach other and combined to yield depth-resolved video. In otherembodiments the depth camera may be a structured light depth camera or atime-of-flight camera, as described above

In some embodiments, sensor subsystem 520 may include a visible lightcamera, such as a digital camera. Virtually any type of digital cameratechnology may be used without departing from the scope of thisdisclosure. As a non-limiting example, the visible light camera mayinclude a charge coupled device image sensor.

When included, input subsystem 522 may comprise or interface with one ormore sensors or user-input devices such as a game controller, gestureinput detection device, voice recognizer, inertial measurement unit,keyboard, mouse, or touch screen. In some embodiments, the inputsubsystem 522 may comprise or interface with selected natural user input(NUI) componentry. Such componentry may be integrated or peripheral, andthe transduction and/or processing of input actions may be handled on-or off-board. Example NUI componentry may include a microphone forspeech and/or voice recognition; an infrared, color, stereoscopic,and/or depth camera for machine vision and/or gesture recognition; ahead tracker, eye tracker, accelerometer, and/or gyroscope for motiondetection and/or intent recognition; as well as electric-field sensingcomponentry for assessing brain activity.

The term “program” may be used to describe an aspect of the resourcemanagement system 10 that is implemented to perform one or moreparticular functions. In some cases, such a program may be instantiatedvia logic subsystem 504 executing instructions held by storage subsystem508. It is to be understood that different programs may be instantiatedfrom the same application, service, code block, object, library,routine, API, function, etc. Likewise, the same program may beinstantiated by different applications, services, code blocks, objects,routines, APIs, functions, etc. The term “program” is meant to encompassindividual or groups of executable files, data files, libraries,drivers, scripts, database records, etc.

It is to be understood that the configurations and/or approachesdescribed herein are exemplary in nature, and that these specificembodiments or examples are not to be considered in a limiting sense,because numerous variations are possible. The specific routines ormethods described herein may represent one or more of any number ofprocessing strategies. As such, various acts illustrated may beperformed in the sequence illustrated, in other sequences, in parallel,or in some cases omitted. Likewise, the order of the above-describedprocesses may be changed.

The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all novel andnonobvious combinations and subcombinations of the various processes,systems and configurations, and other features, functions, acts, and/orproperties disclosed herein, as well as any and all equivalents thereof.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A resource management system, comprising: ahead-mounted display device configured to be worn by a user andoperatively connected to a computing device, the head-mounted displaydevice including a plurality of sensors and a display system forpresenting holographic objects, and a resource management programexecuted by a processor of the computing device, the resource managementprogram configured to: operate a selected sensor of the plurality ofsensors in a default power mode to achieve a selected level of sensorfidelity; receive user-related information from one or more of theplurality of sensors, the user-related information selected from thegroup consisting of audio information, user gaze information, userlocation information, user movement information, user image information,and user physiological information; determine whether target informationis detected in the user-related information; and when the targetinformation is detected, among the plurality of sensors adjust only theselected sensor to operate in a reduced power mode that uses less powerthan the default power mode, thereby achieving a reduced level of sensorfidelity; wherein the plurality of sensors includes an outward facingimage sensor, an eye-tracking sensor, and a position sensor, and whereinadjusting only the selected sensor to operate in the reduced power modeincludes: in response to detecting the target information in theuser-related information received from the outward facing image sensor,one or more of reducing a refresh rate and a resolution of the outwardfacing image sensor, in response to detecting the target informationreceived from the eye-tracking sensor, reducing a refresh rate of theeye-tracking sensor, and in response to detecting the target informationreceived from the position sensor, reducing a sampling rate of theposition sensor, wherein the resource management system is configured tooverride the resource management program and adjust the selected sensorto operate in a fast response mode in response to a transition of thehead-mounted display device into a new environment, the fast responsemode using more power than the reduced power mode, thereby achieving anincreased level of sensor fidelity.
 2. The resource management system ofclaim 1, wherein the target information is selected from the groupconsisting of context-identifying audio information, a user gaze that isfixed on one of the holographic objects or the physical object, a userlocation at a predetermined location, movement of the user below amovement threshold, image information indicating a user body part, andawareness-related user physiological information that indicates a userawareness below an awareness threshold.
 3. The resource managementsystem of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors further includes amicrophone.
 4. The resource management system of claim 1, wherein thereduced power mode further comprises a powered-off state.
 5. Theresource management system of claim 1, wherein the resource managementprogram is further configured to: receive physical environmentinformation from one or more of the plurality of sensors; and determinewhether the target information is detected in the physical environmentinformation.
 6. The resource management system of claim 5, wherein thephysical environment information comprises physical object image data,and the resource management program is further configured to: determinewhether the outward facing image sensor has captured a threshold amountof the physical object image data; and when the threshold amount of thephysical object image data has been captured, adjust the outward facingimage sensor to operate in the reduced power mode.
 7. The resourcemanagement system of claim 1, wherein the resource management program isfurther configured to: receive physical environment information via anetwork from an external source that is external to the head-mounteddisplay device; and based on receiving the physical environmentinformation from the external source, adjust the selected sensor tooperate in the reduced power mode.
 8. The resource management system ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a microphone, andthe resource management program is further configured to: operate themicrophone at a slower polling frequency while target audio is notdetected; and adjust the microphone to operate at a faster pollingfrequency that is greater than the slower polling frequency when thetarget audio is detected.
 9. The resource management system of claim 1,wherein the target information comprises a user gaze at one of theholographic objects or a physical object, and the resource managementprogram is further configured to: detect the user gaze at one of theholographic objects or the physical object using the eye-trackingsensor; and based on detecting the user gaze, reduce an illuminationoutput of the display system of the head-mounted display device.
 10. Theresource management system of claim 1, wherein the target informationcomprises movement of the user below a movement threshold, and theresource management program is further configured to: detect that themovement of the user is below the movement threshold using the positionsensor; and based on detecting the movement of the user below themovement threshold, adjust the position sensor to operate in the reducedpower mode.
 11. A method for managing resources in a head-mounteddisplay device, comprising: providing the head-mounted display deviceconfigured to be worn by a user and operatively connected to a computingdevice, the head-mounted display device including a plurality of sensorsand a display system for presenting holographic objects; operating aselected sensor of the plurality of sensors in a default power mode toachieve a selected level of sensor fidelity; receiving user-relatedinformation from one or more of the plurality of sensors, theuser-related information selected from the group consisting of audioinformation, user gaze information, user location information, usermovement information, user image information, and user physiologicalinformation; determining whether target information is detected in theuser-related information; when the target information is detected, amongthe plurality of sensors adjusting only the selected sensor to operatein a reduced power mode that uses less power than the default powermode, thereby achieving a reduced level of sensor fidelity; andadjusting the selected sensor to operate in a fast response mode inresponse to a transition of the head-mounted display device into a newenvironment, the fast response mode using more power than the reducedpower mode, thereby achieving an increased level of sensor fidelity;wherein the plurality of sensors includes an outward facing imagesensor, an eye-tracking sensor, and a position sensor, and whereinadjusting only the selected sensor to operate in the reduced power modeincludes: in response to detecting the target information in theuser-related information received from the outward facing image sensor,one or more of reducing a refresh rate and a resolution of the outwardfacing image sensor, in response to detecting the target informationreceived from the eye-tracking sensor, reducing a refresh rate of theeye-tracking sensor, and in response to detecting the target informationreceived from the position sensor, reducing a sampling rate of theposition sensor.
 12. The method for managing resources of claim 11,wherein the target information is selected from the group consisting ofcontext-identifying audio information, a user gaze that is fixed on oneof the holographic objects or a physical object, a user location at apredetermined location, movement of the user below a movement threshold,image information indicating a user body part, and awareness-relateduser physiological information that indicates a user awareness below anawareness threshold.
 13. The method for managing resources of claim 11,further comprising: receiving physical environment information from oneor more of the plurality of sensors; and determining whether the targetinformation is detected in the physical environment information.
 14. Themethod for managing resources of claim 13, wherein the physicalenvironment information comprises physical object image data, andfurther comprising: determining whether the outward facing image sensorhas captured a threshold amount of the physical object image data; andwhen the threshold amount of the physical object image data has beencaptured, adjusting the outward facing image sensor to operate in thereduced power.
 15. The method for managing resources of claim 11,further comprising: receiving physical environment information via anetwork from an external source that is external to the head-mounteddisplay device; and based on receiving the physical environmentinformation from the external source, adjusting the selected sensor tooperate in the reduced power mode.
 16. The method for managing resourcesof claim 11, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a microphone,and further comprising: operating the microphone at a slower pollingfrequency when target audio is not detected; and adjusting themicrophone to operate at a faster polling frequency that is greater thanthe slower polling frequency when the target audio is detected.
 17. Themethod for managing resources of claim 11, wherein the targetinformation comprises a user gaze at one of the holographic objects or aphysical object, and further comprising: detecting the user gaze at oneof the holographic objects or the physical object using the eye-trackingsensor; and based on detecting the user gaze, reducing an illuminationoutput of the display system of the head-mounted display device.
 18. Themethod for managing resources of claim 11, wherein the targetinformation comprises movement of the user below a movement threshold,and further comprising: detecting that the movement of the user is belowthe movement threshold using the position sensor; and based on detectingthe movement of the user below the movement threshold, adjusting theposition sensor to operate in the reduced power mode.
 19. A resourcemanagement system, comprising: a head-mounted display device configuredto be worn by a user and operatively connected to a computing device,the head-mounted display device comprising a display system forpresenting holographic objects and a plurality of sensors including anoutward facing image sensor, a position sensor, an eye-tracking sensor,and a microphone; and a resource management program executed by aprocessor of the computing device, the resource management programconfigured to: operate a selected sensor of the plurality of sensors ina default power mode to achieve a selected level of sensor fidelity;receive user-related information from one or more of the plurality ofsensors, the user-related information selected from the group consistingof audio information, user gaze information, user location information,user movement information, user image information, and userphysiological information; receive physical environment information fromone or more of the plurality of sensors; determine whether targetinformation is detected in the user-related information or the physicalenvironment information; and when the target information is detected,among the plurality of sensors adjust only the selected sensor tooperate in a reduced power mode that uses less power than the defaultpower mode, thereby achieving a reduced level of sensor fidelity;wherein adjusting only the selected sensor to operate in the reducedpower mode includes: in response to detecting the target information inthe user-related information received from the outward facing imagesensor, one or more of reducing a refresh rate and a resolution of theoutward facing image sensor, in response to detecting the targetinformation received from the eye-tracking sensor, reducing a refreshrate of the eye-tracking sensor, and in response to detecting the targetinformation received from the position sensor, reducing a sampling rateof the position sensor, wherein the resource management system isconfigured to override the resource management program and adjust theselected sensor to operate in a fast response mode in response to atransition of the head-mounted display device into a new environment,the fast response mode using more power than the reduced power mode,thereby achieving an increased level of sensor fidelity.